Have to say, our boy, Gil Lock, was Rife with some accurate opinions last week. Bowling Green led into the fourth quarter against Missouri before losing by seven; the final margin much closer to Lock’s line of 11 than the 19 you’d have had to lay in Vegas. Then, despite most of the world expecting a big USC victory, Ohio State was in command of their matchup until the final minute when USC found the end zone and escaped The Horseshoe with a narrow 18-15 win. A tough decision for the Buckeye faithful to handle but a pretty one for those like Lock that took the 6 1/2. The only blemish on the record was North Carolina, who registered a 12-10 win over UConn but failed to cover the 4 1/2 point margin. Let’s see if Gil can grab that elusive three game sweep this week.

Toledo +20 1/2 over OhioState- I’m letting my bias for the MAC Conference show, I know, but I’m really impressed by Toledo. They crushed Colorado last week; mainly because their three receivers are lightning quick. I don’t think the Buckeye corners are fast enough to shut them down and Big Ten teams historically struggle against the spread offense. It’s also probable that Ohio State will suffer a bit of a letdown after last week’s heartbreaker vs. USC. They’ll win, but not by three TD’s.

Baylor -10 1/2 over Connecticut- If it isn’t already obvious, I don’t think much of UConn. They did little to change that opinion last week when they only managed what amounted to a defensive TD vs. North Carolina. Baylor is a solid team flying under the radar in a conference loaded with Top 25 teams. I’m counting on the fact that the line is off because no one knows them. In another conference, Baylor QB Robert Griffin would be First Team. Go with the Bears.

Army -7 1/2 over BallState- Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith. I don’t know much about Ball State and even less about Army but I don’t think the Black Knights of the Hudson have been favored by that much over anyone since my Grandpa Rife wore his coonskin coat to West Point to see Doc Blanchard and Glenn Davis.